Coreopsis plant named ‘Cosmic Eye’

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of hybrid  Coreopsis  named ‘Cosmic Eye’ characterized its large inflorescences with ray florets that are bright yellow in color with sharply contrasting bright red eye zones, its low growing and compact plant habit with flowers held well above the foliage, and its perennial habit and cold hardiness to at least U.S.D.A. Zone 5.

Botanical classification: Coreopsis hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Cosmic Eye’.

CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION

This application is co-pending with a U.S. Plant Patent Applicationfiled for a plant derived from the same cross in the Inventor's breedingprogram that is entitled Coreopsis Plant Named ‘Galaxy’ (U.S. Plant Pat.No. 21,999).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofCoreopsis plant, botanically of hybrid origin and known as Coreopsis‘Cosmic Eye’ and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name,‘Cosmic Eye’. The new cultivar of Coreopsis is an herbaceous perennialgrown for landscape and container use.

The new Invention arose from an ongoing controlled breeding program inHubbardston, Mass. The objective of the breeding program is to develophybrid cultivars of Coreopsis with unique and superior gardenattributes. In particular, to develop cultivars that are long-lived,sturdy, exhibit a true perennial habit and cold hardy to at leastU.S.D.A Zone 5 in a wide range of flower colors and plant forms. TheInventor collected seed in the wild from five different species that arenot commercialized and made six generations of crosses to producedinterspecific hybrids to utilize in his breeding work.

The Inventor made a controlled cross in September of 2006 in his testgarden in Hubbardston, Mass. between an unnamed sibling of Coreopsis‘Redshift’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,412) as the female parent and anunnamed sibling of Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,364) asthe male parent. ‘Cosmic Eye’ was selected in summer 2007 as a singleunique plant amongst the resulting seedlings.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by stemcuttings in Hubbardston, Mass. in August of 2007 by the Inventor. Thecharacteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable andare reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the characteristics of the new cultivar. These attributes incombination distinguish ‘Cosmic Eye’ as unique from all Coreopsiscultivars and species known to the Inventor.

-   -   1. ‘Cosmic Eye’ exhibits a very low growing, compact plant        habit; reaching about 12 inches (30 cm) in height in bloom.    -   2. ‘Cosmic Eye’ exhibits foliage that branches low to the ground        with flowers held well above the foliage.    -   3. ‘Cosmic Eye’ exhibits large inflorescences with ray florets        that are bright yellow in color with sharply contrasting bright        red eye zones.    -   4. ‘Cosmic Eye’ exhibits a reliable perennial habit and is cold        hardy at least to U.S.D.A. Zone 5.        ‘Cosmic Eye’ differs from its female parent in that the female        parent has a much taller plant height, reaching 3 feet in        height, and in having flowers with ray florets that are pale        yellow in color with red streaks. The male parent differs from        ‘Cosmic Eye’ in being taller in plant height, reaching about 2        feet in height, and in having flowers with ray florets that are        solid light yellow in color. ‘Cosmic Eye’ can be compared to        Coreopsis cultivars ‘Redshift’ and ‘Full Moon’. ‘Redshift’ is        similar to ‘Cosmic Eye’ in having flowers with ray florets that        are yellow with a red eye zone, however ‘Redshift’ differs from        ‘Cosmic Eye’ in being taller in plant height and in having ray        florets that change in color to almost solid red late in the        season when temperatures are cooler. ‘Full Moon’ differs from        ‘Cosmic Eye’ in being taller in plant height and in having        flowers with ray florets that are solid yellow in color and lack        eye zone coloration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceand distinct characteristics of the new Coreopsis. The photographs weretaken of a two year-old plant of ‘Cosmic Eye’ as grown in a garden inMount Vernon, Wash.

The photograph in FIG. 1 shows the overall growth and flowering habit of‘Cosmic Eye’.

The photograph in FIG. 2 provides a close-up view of an inflorescence of‘Cosmic Eye’. The colors in the photograph may differ slightly from thecolor values cited in the detailed botanical description, whichaccurately describe the colors of the new Coreopsis.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new cultivar as observedfor two years in a trail garden in Hubbardston, Mass. with the detailedbotanical data collected from six month-old plants of the new cultivaras grown in one-gallon containers in Kensington, Conn. The phenotype ofthe new cultivar may vary with variations in environmental, climatic,and cultural conditions, as it has not been tested under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The color determination is in accordance withThe 2007 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

-   General description:    -   -   Blooming period.—Blooms from June until frost in central            Massachusetts.        -   Plant habit.—Herbaceous perennial, clump-forming, compact,            low growing leafy stems with flowering stem held above the            foliage.        -   Height and spread.—Reaches 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches) in            height with blooms reaching about 24 cm (12 inches) in            height, spreads to about 24 cm (12 inches).        -   Cold hardiness.—At least to U.S.D.A Zone 5.        -   Diseases resistance.—Relatively disease resistant with no            particular resistance to specific diseases observed.        -   Root description.—Fibrous, fine and well-branched.-   Growth and propagation:    -   -   Propagation.—Terminal stem cuttings and division.        -   Growth rate.—Vigorous but retaining a compact habit.-   Stem description:    -   -   Shape.—Oval, solid.        -   Stem color.—144A.        -   Stem size.—Main stem (including peduncles) averages 23 cm in            length and 4 mm in width with lateral branches an average of            6 cm in length and 2 mm in width.        -   Stem surface.—Glabrous when young, ridged and sparsely            covered with minute translucent hairs when mature.        -   Branching habit.—An average of 7 basal branches with 6            secondary branches, branch internode is variable but            typically about 3 cm and arise opposite at nodes.-   Foliage description:    -   -   Leaf division.—Simple.        -   Leaf margins.—Entire to tri-lobed, covered with short hairs            and slight undulations.        -   Leaf size.—Variable, an average of 7 cm in length and width            when mature with center lobe an average of 7 mm in length            and 5 mm in width and secondary lobes an average of 3 cm in            length and 4 mm in width.        -   Leaf shape.—Lanceolate with lanceolate lobes when tri-fid.        -   Leaf base.—Attenuate.        -   Leaf apex.—Narrowly acute.        -   Leaf venation.—Pinnate, not prominent, coloration same as            leaf on both surfaces.        -   Leaf attachment.—Sessile.        -   Leaf arrangement.—Opposite.        -   Leaf surface.—Dull and very finely puberulent on upper            surface and lower surface.        -   Leaf color.—Young and mature upper surface; N137B, young and            mature lower surface; 137B.-   Flower description:    -   -   Inflorescence type.—Composite with ray florets surrounding            disk florets in the center, forming a radiant head,            inflorescences are borne on terminals arising from leaf            axils.        -   Lastingness of inflorescence.—About 8 to 10 days until            senescence of ray flowers, bracts and disk flowers are            persistent.        -   Fragrance.—Faint.        -   Quantity of inflorescences.—An average of 6 per lateral            branch, an average of 60 per plant grown in a one-gallon            container.        -   Inflorescence size.—Up to 1.3 cm in depth and up to 4.6 cm            in diameter with disk portion up to 1.2 cm in diameter.        -   Inflorescence buds.—Average of 9 mm in depth and diameter,            shape is spherical, color is 17C surrounded with bracts 137B            in color.        -   Peduncle.—Strong, average of 9 cm in length and 1.5 mm in            diameter, 144A in color, glabrous surface.-   Involucral bracts:    -   -   Bract number.—Two rows of 7.        -   Bract arrangement.—Outer bracts are un-fused and somewhat            reflexed when flower is fully open and becoming horizontal            after ray florets drop, inner bracts overlap and surround            receptacle with a campanulate form with apical portion            un-fused, spreading, and held close to ray florets.        -   Bract size.—Outer bracts; up to 1 cm in length and 2.5 mm in            width, inner bracts; up to 9 mm in length and 3.5 mm in            width with free portion an average of 4 mm in length and 3.5            mm in width.        -   Bract color.—Outer bracts; 137A on both surfaces, inner            bracts; fused portion 146A, un-fused portion 146C in center            with apex and margin 144C.        -   Bract texture.—Outer bract; puberulent, inner bracts waxy.        -   Bract apex.—Outer bract; acute, inner bracts; acute.        -   Bract base.—Truncate.        -   Bract margins.—Entire with fine short hairs on outer bracts.        -   Bract shape.—Outer bracts; lanceolate, inner bracts; free            portion broadly lanceolate.-   Ray florets (pistillate):    -   -   Number.—7.        -   Shape.—Oblanceolate, appearance of three longitudinal            sections with center section longer and apex of each free.        -   Size.—Up to 2 cm in length and 1 cm in width.        -   Apex.—3-lobed with center lobe emarginate and side lobes            rounded.        -   Base.—Broadly cuneate.        -   Margins.—Entire on sides, lobed at apex.        -   Aspect.—Held slightly cupped upward.        -   Texture.—Velvety on upper surface and glabrous on lower            surfaces.        -   Color.—Upper surface when opening and mature; 5A with eye            zone (lower one-half of petal) 187A, lower surface when            opening and mature; 5B with eye zone (lower one-half of            petal) slightly suffused and with a few stripes of 187B.-   Disk flowers (perfect):    -   -   Shape.—Tubular, corolla is fused, flared at apex.        -   Size.—About 6 mm in length and 1.3 mm in width.        -   Color.—En masse; 153A when immature, 17A when fully open and            becoming a blend of 200C and 200D when dried and ray florets            drop, corolla; base (tube) is 2C in color, flared portion is            17A and translucent.        -   Receptacle.—About 3.5 mm in diameter and 2 mm in depth, 1D            in color.-   Reproductive organs:    -   -   Presence.—Disk flowers are perfect, ray flowers are            pistillate.        -   Gynoecium.—1 Pistil, 5 mm in length, style is very fine and            about 151C in color and translucent, bifid pilose stigma is            17A in color with branches about 1 mm in length and            recurved, ovary is 1.5 mm in length, 1 mm in width,            inferior, and 145B suffused with 187A in color.        -   Androcoecium.—5 stamens, fused into tube surrounding style,            3 mm in length and 0.7 mm in width, about 165A in color, no            pollen was observed.        -   Fruit/seed.—No fruit or seed development was observed.

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Coreopsis plant named ‘Cosmic Eye’ asherein illustrated and described.